Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples

SmartCat · 14th October 2016, 17:21

SOMANATHPURA

Name: Chennakeshava Temple
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna..._Somanathapura
Distance from Hassan: 138 Kms
Location: 35 km from Mysore.
How to Get There: Type 'Somanathapura' in Google Maps.

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-screenshot_20161014171548.jpg

Somanathapura is probably third most famous Hoysala temple, after Belur and Halebid:

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Massive well maintained lawn:

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20160903_152103_p.jpg

We visited Somnathapura in September. We hired an official ASI guide who charged us Rs. 300 for a 45 minute tour. Entrance to the temple complex:

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20160903_152231_1_p.jpg

Front View:

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Inside the temple:

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A walk around the temple:

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Little explorer leading the way:

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20160903_160302_1_p.jpg

aah78 · 14th October 2016, 20:05

Thread moved to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

kvish · 14th October 2016, 20:57

Fantastic writeup! Rated 5 stars.

Did you also check the Kedareswara temple close to Halebid?
People were geniuses those days!

mazda4life · 14th October 2016, 21:04

Truly admire your patience and interest in traveling to these places with the tiny tots, hats off to you and your family. I am from originally from the old Mysore region and your thread makes me fondly recollect old memories of visiting some of the better known temples.
A little off topic tidbit: what I heard was that, there was a spurt in idol robberies and they were expecting some repatriated ones from museums abroad.

Renukaprasad · 15th October 2016, 13:29

Very nice write up and photographs. I had similar thoughts and started visiting lesser known hoysala temples and visited few in your tour list. My native place is near to Baggavalli and many of the places you visited are close by, yet to complete the circuit. Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to renewed my quest.

SmartCat · 15th October 2016, 13:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by kvish

Did you also check the Kedareswara temple close to Halebid?

Found it on wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedare...mple,_Halebidu

Is this place outside the main Halebeedu temple complex?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mazda4life

A little off topic tidbit: what I heard was that, there was a spurt in idol robberies and they were expecting some repatriated ones from museums abroad.

One of the ASI guys mentioned this to me. But in a few temples, not all idols are 900 years old (because original ones have been stolen) - some are replicas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renukaprasad

I had similar thoughts and started visiting lesser known hoysala temples and visited few in your tour list. My native place is near to Baggavalli and many of the places you visited are close by, yet to complete the circuit. Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to renewed my quest.

Can you name all places you have visited so far or plan to visit, that is not in this list? This month end, we plan to check out a few more places.

procrj · 15th October 2016, 14:12

Super thread smartcat. Rated a well deserved 5 stars.

I have been planning & planning to do this trip but something or the other always seems to stop me from going ahead with this.

Adding a few more to the list already shared

1. Sri Chennakeshava temple, Turuvekere, Tumkur Dist.
URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna...le,_Turuvekere
Gmaps:https://goo.gl/maps/UFsbMkLzoxx

2. Shri Mooleshankareshwar Temple, Turvekere, Tumkur Dist.
URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moole_...le,_Turuvekere
Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/sQ5pB7dFMA12

3. Sri Chennakeshava temple, Hullekere, Arsikere Taluk
URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna...ple,_Hullekere
Gmaps: Best guess https://goo.gl/maps/ynP3gUgGynK2

4. Saumyakeshava temple, Nagamangala, Mandya Dist.
URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saumya...e,_Nagamangala
Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/VBUqfPtTsRp

5. Yoga madhava temple, Settikere, Tumkur Dist.
URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_M...ple,_Settikere
Gmaps: Best guess https://goo.gl/maps/acGLY2cpzGB2

6. Channkeshava & Ramesvara Temples, Arakere
URL:http://rakeshholla.blogspot.in/2010/...rakere-is.html
Gmap: Should be around here https://goo.gl/maps/nbAd9c4x9vp

7. Lakshminarayana temple. Hosaholalu, K.R Pet, Mandya Dist.
URL:http://divyadesamyatra.blogspot.in/2...osaholalu.html
Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/8RJKZRYKFr32

Additional resources & references

1. Lakshmi Sharath's blog post on a couple of ruined temples around halebeedu - http://www.lakshmisharath.com/2010/0...ala-temples-3/

2. Gerard Foekema's Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples. While this is in no way a complete guide, Would recommend this book if you want to understand a little more about temple plans, structures, architecture, sculprute & styles. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...oysala-temples

3. An old blog on Hoysala Temples which seems to have a big list of temples - http://hoysalatemple.blogspot.in/

4. Rakesh Holla's Blog - Need to search a little for info but its there - http://rakeshholla.blogspot.in/

landcruiser123 · 15th October 2016, 15:08

Hi smartcat,
I must appreciate this wonderful travelogue which exposes the lesser-known but no-less-grander temples of Karnataka.
I've only visited one (somnathpura) of the 14 temples you mentioned.

Thanks for making the detailed itinerary of one of my future trips.

Can you share how BRV performed throughout the trip?

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

ARAKERE

Caution: There are places called Arakere, Anekere, Arekere, Arsikere etc in Karnataka.

Haha, I live in Arekere (BG Road) myself.

Red Liner · 15th October 2016, 15:08

What a fantastic write up. This is a great service to explore ancient architecture in our very own Karnataka. And what better season than the next few months to visit all these places! Looks like all my week-ends are booked up now :-)

I would also recommend the temple in mulbagal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurudumale

There's a Shiva temple within a 100 metres of this one, and ofcourse an old Anjaneya temple a bit further down the state highway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulbagal

There are other very ancient temples in that same stretch, a few of which I have visited.

SmartCat · 15th October 2016, 16:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by procrj

3. An old blog on Hoysala Temples which seems to have a big list of temples - http://hoysalatemple.blogspot.in/

4. Rakesh Holla's Blog - Need to search a little for info but its there - http://rakeshholla.blogspot.in/

These two bloggers have done a great job! Comparing their old photos with mine, it looks like Govt/ASI has spent a good deal of money sprucing up the area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Can you share how BRV performed throughout the trip?

See post 593 and 596 of this thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4072943

So far, meeting all my requirements and expectations. Headlights are powerful (when compared to my old Civic) making night driving a bit more relaxing. I guess diesel economy of XUV 500 AT (as a 7 seater AT) would have been great (might have resulted in Rs. 2,000 savings) - but when I look at the trip costs, it is still the hotel accommodation expenses that tops the list.

A few more car pics from the trip:

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20161007_122444_1_p.jpg

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20161010_171633_p.jpg

Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples-p_20161011_114554_1_p.jpg

Looking at all those cool Tata Hexa pics, I'm getting a tiny bit of buyer's remorse though

. But the news of launch being postponed yet again means my decision not to wait for Hexa was right.

arunu · 15th October 2016, 16:10

Marvelous thread and rating well-deserved 5*.

Its great to see so many temples being preserved and cared-for by the Govt. I have been to many of such temples Belur, Halebedu, Somnathpura and other malnad region.

My native is Harihar - Davanagere dist and famous for Harihareshwara temple. This place is on the way NH48 from Bangalore --> Chitradurga --> Davanagere --> Harihar -- > Hubli Dharwad and onwards to MH and GOA.

Quote from wiki
"Harihar ([harihər] also called Harihara [2]) is a city in Davanagere District in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harihar Taluk. Harihar is famous for a Harihareshwara temple, which is also known as "Dakshina Kashi" and " Industrial Hub of central Karnataka ".

"The Harihareshwara Temple at Harihar in Karnataka state, India, was built in c. 1223–1224 CE by Polalva, a commander and minister of the Hoysala Empire King Vira Narasimha II. In 1268 CE, Soma, a commander of King Narasimha III of the same dynasty made some additions.[1] The temple houses the deity Harihara, a fusion of the Hindu Gods Vishnu and Shiva. The image of the deity is a fusion of the right vertical half of Shiva and left vertical half of Vishnu.[2] The image holds in its right hand, the attributes of Shiva and in the left hand, those of Vishnu."

Incase if you happen to travel on this route, dont miss this temple since it is maintained immaculately and fully functional with regular pujas happening on daily basis. There is another ancient Lakshmi Mata temple and Shri.Shankara Mutt inside the temple complex as well.
The entire temple complex is situated inside a "Kote" meaning a boundary wall OR fort and easily accessible from the NH.

Thanks again for wonderful documentation.

shijinpr · 15th October 2016, 18:54

Awesome! We just completed a trip to Halebidu and Belur, our base camp was hassan.

Awed by the architecture, so intricate. Felt it would take days to study these sculptures in detail. Perhaps each one of them will tell you a story.

Good to hear the support from locals and way they are preserving the heritage sites. However at the busier ones, belur/halebid-the process of collecting parking fees et al, require some transparency.

Have included my expereince in the below thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...e-queries.html

nkrishnap · 16th October 2016, 20:58

Brilliant thread. Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing the details of the Hoysala Temples.

A well deserved 5* rating for the thread.

bullock-Car · 16th October 2016, 23:17

Nice compilation of the hidden treasures, I too discovered the Belavadi trip after my third Belur Halebid trip. That temple was beautiful and less crowded and the temple Pujari himself explained the temple and the main idols were beautiful.
Smartcat, your details are notable be in cars or temples.
A well deserved 5 star ratings.

hillsnrains · 17th October 2016, 09:26

Thanks for sharing your experience. Awesome write-up with nice pictures.

We have been to the popular temples like Halebidu, Belur, Somnathpur, but not the remaining. We will be heading to the hidden temples very shortly. Thanks again for the effort in documenting in such a detailed way

Well deserved 5* Thread

14th October 2016, 17:21	#16
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 7,191 Thanked: 51,823 Times View My Garage	re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples SOMANATHPURA Name: Chennakeshava Temple Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna..._Somanathapura Distance from Hassan: 138 Kms Location: 35 km from Mysore. How to Get There: Type 'Somanathapura' in Google Maps. Somanathapura is probably third most famous Hoysala temple, after Belur and Halebid: Massive well maintained lawn: We visited Somnathapura in September. We hired an official ASI guide who charged us Rs. 300 for a 45 minute tour. Entrance to the temple complex: Front View: Inside the temple: A walk around the temple: Little explorer leading the way: Last edited by SmartCat : 14th October 2016 at 19:30.
	(19) Thanks

14th October 2016, 20:05	#17
aah78 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NYC / BOM Posts: 4,726 Thanked: 3,409 Times View My Garage	re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Thread moved to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!
	(1) Thanks

14th October 2016, 20:57	#18
kvish BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 626 Thanked: 195 Times	re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Fantastic writeup! Rated 5 stars. Did you also check the Kedareswara temple close to Halebid? People were geniuses those days!
	(1) Thanks

14th October 2016, 21:04	#19
mazda4life BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Phoenix,AZ Posts: 506 Thanked: 569 Times	re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Truly admire your patience and interest in traveling to these places with the tiny tots, hats off to you and your family. I am from originally from the old Mysore region and your thread makes me fondly recollect old memories of visiting some of the better known temples. A little off topic tidbit: what I heard was that, there was a spurt in idol robberies and they were expecting some repatriated ones from museums abroad.
	(1) Thanks

15th October 2016, 13:29	#20
Renukaprasad Newbie Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Chennai Posts: 5 Thanked: 10 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Very nice write up and photographs. I had similar thoughts and started visiting lesser known hoysala temples and visited few in your tour list. My native place is near to Baggavalli and many of the places you visited are close by, yet to complete the circuit. Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to renewed my quest.
	(1) Thanks

15th October 2016, 14:12	#22
procrj Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,849 Thanked: 5,732 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Super thread smartcat. Rated a well deserved 5 stars. I have been planning & planning to do this trip but something or the other always seems to stop me from going ahead with this. Adding a few more to the list already shared 1. Sri Chennakeshava temple, Turuvekere, Tumkur Dist. URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna...le,_Turuvekere Gmaps:https://goo.gl/maps/UFsbMkLzoxx 2. Shri Mooleshankareshwar Temple, Turvekere, Tumkur Dist. URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moole_...le,_Turuvekere Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/sQ5pB7dFMA12 3. Sri Chennakeshava temple, Hullekere, Arsikere Taluk URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenna...ple,_Hullekere Gmaps: Best guess https://goo.gl/maps/ynP3gUgGynK2 4. Saumyakeshava temple, Nagamangala, Mandya Dist. URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saumya...e,_Nagamangala Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/VBUqfPtTsRp 5. Yoga madhava temple, Settikere, Tumkur Dist. URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_M...ple,_Settikere Gmaps: Best guess https://goo.gl/maps/acGLY2cpzGB2 6. Channkeshava & Ramesvara Temples, Arakere URL:http://rakeshholla.blogspot.in/2010/...rakere-is.html Gmap: Should be around here https://goo.gl/maps/nbAd9c4x9vp 7. Lakshminarayana temple. Hosaholalu, K.R Pet, Mandya Dist. URL:http://divyadesamyatra.blogspot.in/2...osaholalu.html Gmaps: https://goo.gl/maps/8RJKZRYKFr32 Additional resources & references 1. Lakshmi Sharath's blog post on a couple of ruined temples around halebeedu - http://www.lakshmisharath.com/2010/0...ala-temples-3/ 2. Gerard Foekema's Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples. While this is in no way a complete guide, Would recommend this book if you want to understand a little more about temple plans, structures, architecture, sculprute & styles. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...oysala-temples 3. An old blog on Hoysala Temples which seems to have a big list of temples - http://hoysalatemple.blogspot.in/ 4. Rakesh Holla's Blog - Need to search a little for info but its there - http://rakeshholla.blogspot.in/
	(6) Thanks

15th October 2016, 15:08	#24
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,364 Thanked: 19,177 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples What a fantastic write up. This is a great service to explore ancient architecture in our very own Karnataka. And what better season than the next few months to visit all these places! Looks like all my week-ends are booked up now :-) I would also recommend the temple in mulbagal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurudumale There's a Shiva temple within a 100 metres of this one, and ofcourse an old Anjaneya temple a bit further down the state highway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulbagal There are other very ancient temples in that same stretch, a few of which I have visited.
	(2) Thanks

15th October 2016, 16:10	#26
arunu BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Muscat, Oman Posts: 130 Thanked: 162 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Marvelous thread and rating well-deserved 5. Its great to see so many temples being preserved and cared-for by the Govt. I have been to many of such temples Belur, Halebedu, Somnathpura and other malnad region. My native is Harihar - Davanagere dist and famous for Harihareshwara temple. This place is on the way NH48 from Bangalore --> Chitradurga --> Davanagere --> Harihar -- > Hubli Dharwad and onwards to MH and GOA. Quote from wiki "Harihar ([harihər] also called Harihara* [2]) is a city in Davanagere District in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harihar Taluk. Harihar is famous for a Harihareshwara temple, which is also known as "Dakshina Kashi" and " Industrial Hub of central Karnataka ". "The Harihareshwara Temple at Harihar in Karnataka state, India, was built in c. 1223–1224 CE by Polalva, a commander and minister of the Hoysala Empire King Vira Narasimha II. In 1268 CE, Soma, a commander of King Narasimha III of the same dynasty made some additions.[1] The temple houses the deity Harihara, a fusion of the Hindu Gods Vishnu and Shiva. The image of the deity is a fusion of the right vertical half of Shiva and left vertical half of Vishnu.[2] The image holds in its right hand, the attributes of Shiva and in the left hand, those of Vishnu." Incase if you happen to travel on this route, dont miss this temple since it is maintained immaculately and fully functional with regular pujas happening on daily basis. There is another ancient Lakshmi Mata temple and Shri.Shankara Mutt inside the temple complex as well. The entire temple complex is situated inside a "Kote" meaning a boundary wall OR fort and easily accessible from the NH. Thanks again for wonderful documentation. Attached Thumbnails
	(3) Thanks

15th October 2016, 18:54	#27
shijinpr BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 107 Thanked: 91 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Awesome! We just completed a trip to Halebidu and Belur, our base camp was hassan. Awed by the architecture, so intricate. Felt it would take days to study these sculptures in detail. Perhaps each one of them will tell you a story. Good to hear the support from locals and way they are preserving the heritage sites. However at the busier ones, belur/halebid-the process of collecting parking fees et al, require some transparency. Have included my expereince in the below thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...e-queries.html
	(1) Thanks

16th October 2016, 20:58	#28
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,989 Thanked: 7,464 Times View My Garage	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Brilliant thread. Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing the details of the Hoysala Temples. A well deserved 5* rating for the thread.
	(1) Thanks

16th October 2016, 23:17	#29
bullock-Car BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 200 Thanked: 172 Times	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Nice compilation of the hidden treasures, I too discovered the Belavadi trip after my third Belur Halebid trip. That temple was beautiful and less crowded and the temple Pujari himself explained the temple and the main idols were beautiful. Smartcat, your details are notable be in cars or temples. A well deserved 5 star ratings.
	(1) Thanks

17th October 2016, 09:26	#30
hillsnrains BHPian Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 413 Thanked: 657 Times View My Garage	Re: Guide to the lesser known Hoysala Era Temples Thanks for sharing your experience. Awesome write-up with nice pictures. We have been to the popular temples like Halebidu, Belur, Somnathpur, but not the remaining. We will be heading to the hidden temples very shortly. Thanks again for the effort in documenting in such a detailed way Well deserved 5* Thread Last edited by hillsnrains : 17th October 2016 at 09:28.
	(1) Thanks